


Opportunity Met

by AwayLaughing



Series: All The Days That Have Passed [8]
Category: Naruto
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Bets & Wagers, Fade to Black, Implied Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-06 23:53:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1877226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwayLaughing/pseuds/AwayLaughing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bets and wagers rarely work out perfectly, especially for Neji. This time though, there's simply no loosing side. Not least because it means the house will be clean.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Opportunity Met

**Author's Note:**

> "Luck is what happen  
> when preparation meets opportunity."  
>  **Seneca**
> 
> Challenge from [here](http://awayandlaughing.tumblr.com/post/68217772129/30-day-otp-challenge-for-the-fluff-impaired)

The problem, Neji found, with living as an active shinobi was that house work and yard work and most other non-ninja work fell to the wayside. He managed to work around this by owning very little and not having a garden. Some of his cohort took similar approaches, some tried to balance all three. Some were Shikamaru, who seemed immune to mess and weeds alike.

 

Or so Neji had assumed, until he stepped into Nara's house to find Shikamaru scrubbing the floors. He'd opted out of tatami mats for a reason, Neji knew, but it was incongruous, watching his boyfriend actually scrub a floor. Rather like Naruto refusing ramen or Lee sleeping in.

 

More than being incongruous, it was weird.

 

Weirder still was the lack of smartass comment from Shikamaru when Neji spent the better part of two minutes just staring. Not even an annoyed grunt of unimpressed glare. Nothing. He kept scrubbing.

 

“Are you avoiding paperwork?” he asked at last. Shikamaru sighed and sat back on his heels, scrub brush still in hand. He looked equal parts very attractive and very ridiculous. His hair was making a valiant attempt to escape the tie, several pieces plastered to his face. His shirt was damp, his pants were damp...he was just damp.

 

Let no one say Shikamaru didn't look good in a wet white shirt.

 

“No,” he said at last, returning to scrubbing.

 

“Avoiding paperwork?”

 

“No.”

 

“Clan work?”

 

“Nope.” The _p_ popped in a distinctly annoyed manner. Neji closed the door, toeing off his sandals carefully.

 

“Is your mother coming to dinner?” he hedged at last, coming over to where Shikamaru was kneeling. Finally, that got a tired laugh from Shikamaru who once again leaned back on his heels. Resting his head on Neji's thigh.

 

“She's got a dinner date with my grandparents,” he said. “We're safe.”

 

“Then why are you going at that floor like you're trying to find the dirt the house is built on?”

 

Shikamaru sighed. “It started with laundry. Then I swept. Then the bathroom...now I'm here. All that's left are the kitchen and the garden.”

 

Neji still didn't quite follow the reasoning behind Shikamaru of all people cleaning the entire house, top to bottom, but it wasn't wise to question. “I can start the kitchen,” Neji said. Shikamaru shook his head, Neji blinked in surprise. “What, you don't think I can clean?”

 

“There are dishes and the floors and the counters need cleaning-”

 

“You don't think I can handle that?” Oh something was so up. Neji tried to think – no important dates up coming, if someone was hurt Shikamaru would have said right away. So nothing came to mind, which meant it was a personal issue. Or interpersonal.

 

“The fridge needs to be cleaned out,” Shikamaru said, looking away.

 

“I can tell good food from bad Nara, even if I can't make the former.” Shikamaru just rolled his eyes. Neji didn't show his surprise at the pervasive bad mood. He certainly felt it. Usually Shikamaru appreciated an attempt to lighten the mood. Today he was having none of it.

 

“You don't actually live here, Neji. I can clean my own house,” he said. His voice was clipped and he went to go back to scrubbing, but Neji grabbed him by the fabric at his shoulder, jerking him up. As if Neji did not know avoidance when he saw it. “Let me go, Hyūga I'm busy-”

 

“I can see that,” Neji said, “which is why I'm offering to help you be less busy.” Shikamaru huffed, “and also saving your floor boards. Those are most certainly clean now.” The entire floor was wet, though if Shikamaru kept it up they would never be dry again. For a second he though Shikamaru was just going to continue being contrary, but the brush dropped into the bucket after a moment. Neji let go of his shirt.

 

“I'm sorry,” the younger man said, rubbing a hand over his face, pushing back his free hair. “I- you really don't need to help. I can do this alone.”

 

Neji shrugged. “Well you can do it alone, and I'll do the other thing alone.” Shikamaru gave him a calculating look. “Now what?”

 

“Are _you_ avoiding paper work?”

 

Neji snorted, shoving him lightly away. “No, I am being helpful. Now – do you want the kitchen or the garden?”

 

“Uh,” Shikamaru looked out the window. “Garden I guess. I want it done before the sunsets and there's more time to do the kitchen.” Neji raised and eyebrow.

 

“And you think I'll be slow?”

 

“Well your kitchen is tiny,” Shikamaru said. “And you barely even have a yard, the entire thing is hill.”

 

“I am not a slow cleaner,” Neji said. This time Shikamaru was the one rolling his eyes.

 

“I didn't say you were – I'm just quicker.”

 

“Well there's something you don't often claim,” Neji said. “Are you prepared to back that statement up?” This time Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, hands falling on his hips.

 

“Depends on the wager, Hyūga.” Neji grinned, pulling him forward. Shikamaru rolled with the motion, looking increasingly interested in what Neji had to say. A short whisper into his ear later, he looked down right pleased. Score one for Hyūga Neji: not as shitty a boyfriend as everyone assumed. “You're on,” Shikamaru said. “First one done or the person with the most complete by sundown wins.”

 

“Good luck,” Neji said, heading for the kitchen.

 

“Keep it, you'll need it.”

 

* * *

 

Neji rubbed the last counter dry with maybe five minutes of serviceable sunlight left. The sun was very low, though it had not yet reached the horizon. Neji set his drying cloth down, stretching slightly before walking out to the porch. Shikamaru looked to be about done – the grass was cut and the beds looked all freshly weeded and mulched. In fact, he was just apparently trimming the grass around the posts of the garden. Slowly.

 

Neji almost laughed.

 

“Looks like you lose,” Neji said, leaning against the wall. Shikamaru shot him the trademark lazy smirk and with one last _snip_ of his shears stood.

 

“And so close, too,” he said. “Truly a tragedy.”

 

“Oh I'm sure,” Neji said, heading back inside. Shikamaru followed, stopping to take his shoes off before Neji found himself slammed against the nearest surface. He put his hands out, grasping the counter to keep his lower back from colliding with it.

 

“Ready to collect?” Shikamaru asked, sinking to his knees with a grace that bordered on unfair.

 

“Give it a second,” Neji said, threading a hand through Shikamaru's hair. “Though it seems that maybe you lost that bet on purpose.” Shikamaru grinned, one hand coming to grip just behind his knee, the other trailing lazily up and down Neji's leg.

 

“What makes you think that?” he asked, “and are you complaining?”

 

“You being you makes me think that,” Neji said, tugging very lightly, “but not in the least.”

 

Shikamaru's reply was to pull at the waist of Neji's pants, and tug.

**Author's Note:**

> Some day you'll see actual porn. That is not this day. And some day you'll know why Shikamaru was grumpy. That is also not this day.


End file.
